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Elections Report Discriminates Against the Blind!

December 5, 2016

The Parliamentary Committee released its report “Strengthening Democracy in Canada : Principles, Process and Public Engagement for Electoral Reform” last Thursday only in pdf which it knew was unreadable by blind electors.

“It is ironic and very disturbing that the same day Ministers Qualtrough and Dion announced that Canada was moving to sign the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities that a report of importance to all electors was released in a format that Canadians who are blind could not read,” says John Rae, a long time disability rights advocate.

Elections Report Discriminates Against the Blind!. Read full article.

BRITISH COLUMBIA: Passenger Transportation Board Approves Use of Soft Meters for Taxi Industry with Mandatory Voice Output

Since 2009, Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers has been advocating to have the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB), the government body which regulates the taxi industry throughout BC, to mandate that taxi meters must have the capability for driver activated voice output if requested by a passenger with sight loss.

On November 16th, the PTB amended the rules regarding taxi meters and set forth their policy and rules regarding the use of soft meters in BC.

BRITISH COLUMBIA: Passenger Transportation Board Approves Use of Soft Meters for Taxi Industry with Mandatory Voice Output. Read full article.

New Era for Disability Rights

As higher education turns increasingly digital, disability rights advocates turn to legal measures — and an attentive Justice Department — to address the challenges facing students with disabilities. By Carl Straumsheim
November 7, 2016

Miami University in Ohio last month became the latest institution to overhaul its accessibility policies for people with disabilities. Within a year and a half, students there will receive personalized accessibility plans and encounter course materials, learning platforms and websites that conform to accessibility standards.

New Era for Disability Rights. Read full article.

Sticking with Red and Green Transit Lines ‘Offensive’ to Colour-Blind People, Says Advocate

Ottawa Citizen
Jon Willing, October 17, 2016

OC Transpo is using two colours to differentiate the Confederation Line LRT and Trillium Line. It might cause problems for people who have a red-green colour blindness, an advocate says.

OC Transpo is confident the red and green lines marking the O-Train Confederation Line and Trillium Line on a new rail map won’t cause problems for people with a specific form of colour blindness.

Sticking with Red and Green Transit Lines ‘Offensive’ to Colour-Blind People, Says Advocate. Read full article.

Accessible eLearning Benefits All Learners

by Pamela Hogle
October 3, 2016

Accessible technology is meaningless without accessible content: ‘Making a person’s computer accessible is one thing, but if the Internet is not accessible to them, it kind of doesn’t matter. They may be able to do word processing, but they’re not going to be able to get the information they need,’ said Dmitri Belser, executive director of Berkeley, California’s Center for Accessible Technology.

Accessible eLearning Benefits All Learners. Read full article.